A Tyonek man was arrested over the weekend for stabbing a man in the neck and slapping a family member, according to court documents.
Soldotna emergency dispatchers received two calls early Saturday morning about a man in the small Cook Inlet village of Tyonek who had been stabbed while at another person’s home, according to an officer affidavit.
The first call came from a man who said his cousin Daniel Delkittie had been stabbed. A village public safety officer took Delkittie to the village clinic, where medical staff said he had life-threatening injuries, including a puncture wound that went all the way through his neck.
The other call was from 56-year-old Lecon “Timothy” Chuitt Jr. reporting he had stabbed another person. He described both inviting someone over to his house to drink, and stabbing a person while defending his home from an intruder.
The village safety officer went to Chuitt’s residence and observed evidence of the stabbing, including blood and a knife. In the presence of the officer, Chuitt slapped a family member who confronted him about the stabbing, and the safety officer arrested him.
That same afternoon, an Alaska State Trooper investigator and an additional village safety officer flew to Tyonek from Anchorage on a military helicopter.
In an interview with the investigator, Chuitt confessed to stabbing Delkittie while the two were drinking together. He told troopers he was afraid Delkittie would attack him, but didn’t know why. He said he was very drunk at the time of the incident, according to court documents.
Delkitttie was evacuated by the military helicopter to an Anchorage hospital, where he was eventually discharged when his injuries were no longer life-threatening.
Chuitt is charged with five counts: assault in the first, second and third degrees, as well as two counts of assault in the fourth. He was arraigned Sunday in Kenai, where his bail was set at $25,000 appearance and $50,000 cash performance bond.
Chuitt’s attorney declined to comment on the case. His next appearance is scheduled for Dec. 20 in Kenai.
